Top 5 Destinations For Cat Lovers In The US
Every cat lover knows that cats are truly special creatures. They may do whatever they want and constantly act like the master of your household, but they can also be sweet and cute. If you really love cats and you want to know as much about them as possible, there are plenty of places you need to visit within the US.
Some of these spots make great tourist destinations with the added bonus of being filled with cats. Others are places you’ll probably only find exciting if you’re a feline fan. Keep reading to find your next cat-related destination:
1. The Feline Historical Museum, Alliance, Ohio
In 1990, after much discussion about the importance of preserving the history of the cat, the cat fancy and CFA, a move was made by the CFA Board of Directors to establish the Cat Fanciers’ Association Foundation, Inc. for just that purpose.
One of the long-standing wishes of the Foundation was a permanent home. For numerous years, our library books and several artifacts were on exhibit in the Jean B. Rose Library at CFA’s Central Office in Manasquan, New Jersey. In June, 2011 our dreams came true! When you first enter the museum, you will notice a bronze statue of a Persian waiting to welcome you! This is YourPets Pixie of Playwicky, donated by Diane and Bruce Castor. She was sculpted by the renowned J. Clayton Bright. As you begin your tour, you will find a pictorial display of the history of the Cat Fancy.
Find out more here.
2. The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, Key West, Florida
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is home to approximately 60 polydactyls (6-toed) cats (normally they have 5 front toes and 4 back toes). About half of the cats at the museum have the physical polydactyl trait but they all carry the polydactyl gene in their DNA, which means that the ones that have 4 and 5 toes can still mother or father six-toed kittens. Sometimes it looks as if they are wearing mittens because they appear to have a thumb on their paw.
Ernest Hemingway was given a white 6-toed cat by a ship’s captain and some of the cats who live on the museum grounds are descendants of that original cat, named Snow White. Key West is a small island and it is possible that many of the cats on the island are related. Polydactyl cats are not a particular breed. Find out more here.
3. The Cat Mountain Lodge, Tucson, Arizona
The Lodge was completed in 2010 and built using state-of-the-art materials. Water is conserved at the Lodge by using barrels to harvest rainwater and an underground tank to store greywater for irrigation use. The Roadside Inn was created in 2018 by repurposing an otherwise forgotten building. The landscape was completed using all native plants.
Find out more here.
4. Cat House on the Kings, Parlier, California
The Cat House on the Kings is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center. The mission is to place rescued cats and kittens into loving, permanent homes; to provide a safe, happy and healthy home for unwanted cats and kittens in a unique, no-cage facility; to prevent pet overpopulation through spaying and neutering, and to educate the public about responsible pet ownership.
The Cat House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, receives no government or public funding, and relies entirely on donations from the public to carry out its mission. Since its founding 29 years ago, The Cat House on the Kings has saved over 30,000 cats and 7,100 dogs (not counting the 56,000 animals we have spayed and neutered!) and currently cares for more than 700 cats and kittens, a dozen or so dogs and dozens of peacocks.
Find out more here.
5. Roosevelt Island Cat Sanctuary, Manhattan, New York
This Cat Sanctuary is located on Roosevelt Island at 1 Southpoint Park (South-East Loop Road) and houses 22 cats.
For generations, their presence has been tolerated, and sometimes encouraged with food and water being left out from time to time, but since 2005, a small group of people has been dedicated to the task of helping and finding homes for the cats abandoned on the island by persons unknown. Today the Wildlife Freedom Foundation operates a small shelter on the southern end of the island. On any given day, you may see a few of the island’s felines lazing around their little fenced-in sanctuary, well fed and utterly content.
Have you visited any of these destinations for cat lovers? Share with us in the comments below your experiences and your beloved places that every cat lover should visit.
Photo Shoot: Artur Stanilevich
